ASPECTS OF JEWISH MEDIEVAL MEDICAL THOUGHT: ASAF’S BOOK OF MEDICINE
ASPECTS OF JEWISH MEDIEVAL MEDICAL THOUGHT: ASAF’S BOOK OF MEDICINE

Summary/Abstract: Medieval Jewish thought played a significant role in keeping medical knowledge alive. The paper attempts to point out, in a descriptive manner, the extent to which the Jewish tradition maintained, used, and eventually succeeded in transferring, the ancient Greek medical knowledge to the European West. The Jewish school of medicine in Salerno (Italy) was one of the main actors in this shift ever since the 10th century. Its founder, Shabetai bar Abraham (Donnolo), wrote significant works attesting a wide and long tradition of medical knowledge. Some themes and terms of his works prove that Shabetai was familiar with one of the most famous anonymous manuscripts, known as Asaf’s Book of Medicine. The medical knowledge in this book is based on biblical texts but also on some Hippocratic treatises. It attests a deep knowledge in anatomy, physiology (especially the blood circulation) and embryology.

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